Narrativas sobre suicídio, cultura e trabalho em um município colonizado por alemães.

Abstract

This research aimed to understand suicide in a town settled by Germans. This is a mixed methodology case study combining qualitative and quantitative approaches. The scenario of the research was Santa Cruz do Sul, an important center of German colonization in Rio Grande do Sul that records historically high suicide rates. The primary information derived from the narratives of 16 key informants, individuals who reside and act at the legal, labor, health, education, religion and communication departments in the city. The secondary information came from DATASUS and death certificates from 2003 to 2014. In these twelve years were found: 227 suicides, an average of 19 suicides/year, most often in May and November, standardized rates between 7-28 / 100,000 (45 / 100,000 male and 8 / 100,000 female) with sex ratio of 5.2. Proportional mortality average of 2.2% suicides and 2.1% homicides. All suicide indicators of the studied city were above the state and national indicators. The most were men (82%), white (89%), 45 to 59 years (32%), low education (37%), living alone (52%), farmers (26%) and industrial workers (16%), using the method of hanging at home (70%). More often in the city (69%), but higher risk in the countryside (RR = 3.5). The themes that stood out in the narrative were: "the German spirit", "the work that kills" and "the ways of prevention." The first one refers to the German culture that includes rigidity of the personal conduct, family and social behavior; difficulty in dealing with frustration and express feelings; life project guided in the accumulation of material goods and in the demonstration of possession as a synonym for success, maintained by Germanism as divider between "German" and "Brazilian". The second one refers to the physical and mental suffering of farmers and other tobacco workers cemented by the work ethic that advocates hard work as the fulfillment of life, even when it originates illness and death, based on performance and fear of failure. This "culture broth" would make easier the suicide and would explain, at least in part, the frequency of the event. Key informants believe that talking openly about the subject; capacitate professionals and create a permanent inter-sectoral network would change this reality. This thesis aims to contribute, even modestly, to discussions in academy and in society that results in preventing suicides.